Meet the Mets  —  Former darkhorse takes the lead in Santana derby  —  Once written off as an extreme long shot in the long-running Johan Santana drama, the Mets may actually be the favorite now.  At the very least, there are indications now that they are engaging in more regular dialogue …

Yankees again set payroll record: $218.3 million  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees did finish first in something last year — spending.  —  While their streak of AL East titles ended at nine, the Yankees wound up with a record payroll of $218.3 million.  —  The World Series champion Boston Red Sox …

Rincon lands Minor League contract  —  Reliever gets Spring Training invite, looks to return to Majors  —  NEW YORK — The Mets extended an invitation to their big league Spring Training camp to veteran relief pitcher Ricardo Rincon on Wednesday after the left-handed specialist had signed a Minor League contract with them.

Agent: Cano interested in long-term deal  —  The Yankees could lock up Robinson Cano, their All-Star second baseman, to a long-term deal before he hits free agency.  (Newsday / Paul J. Bereswill)  —  Robinson Cano would be open to the idea of signing a long-term contract with the Yankees, his agent, Bobby Barad, said yesterday.

Rays give young gun Shields four-year contract  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are counting on James Shields to blossom into one of the top pitchers in the American League.  —  The 26-year-old right-hander, who has less than two full seasons of experience in the majors …

Colletti chats about third base, Mattingly  —  Dodgers general manager answers fans' questions online … Ned Colletti: Thanks for taking part in this chat.  I'm looking forward to taking your questions so let's get started.  —  eastchamps: Will Juan Pierre now play left field with the acquisition of Andruw Jones?

Feds unable to locate, serve Knoblauch subpoena  —  WASHINGTON — Former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch had not been tracked down as of early Wednesday evening by federal marshals trying to serve him a subpoena from a House panel investigating steroids in baseball, a committee staffer told The Associated Press.

Q and A with Alan Horne  —  Q: How were you informed of your spring training invitation?  —  A: I got a call from our head of minor league operations Mark Newman. and Nardi Contreras, our pitching coordinator, also gave me a call over the last week sometime.  —  Q: What was your reaction?

Chat Answers....  Thanks to everyone for submitting so many great questions.  Wish I could get to all of em.  —  zellyanks91 asked: Phil...What goes on in the Yankees clubhouse before and after games..of course the media is there asking questions..but what do you guys do?  —  It's pretty laid back for the most part.

Cubs unleash bold, new ad campaign  —  Promotions international in scope with dash of local flavor  —  CHICAGO — Kosuke Fukudome is among the players featured in a new ad campaign unveiled on Tuesday designed to showcase the international breadth and depth of the Cubs.

Wright weighs in on steroid discussion  —  Third baseman believes drug usage in baseball is 'behind us'  —  NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. — David Wright's squeaky clean image is often the first thing to preclude him from discussions of baseball's problems.  Rumors of steroids — or anything like them …

Betancourt earns raise from Tribe  —  Reliever tied for American League lead in holds in 2007  —  CLEVELAND — When it comes to the job of setting up a closer, Rafael Betancourt is one of the best in baseball.  —  And in doing that job, Betancourt has set himself up with a hefty raise and a measure of stability.